1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a depth estimation data generating apparatus, a depth estimation data generating method, and a depth estimation data generating program, and a pseudo three-dimensional (3D) image generating apparatus, a pseudo 3D image generating method, and a pseudo 3D image generating program, and more particularly, to a depth estimation data generating apparatus, a depth estimation data generating method, and a depth estimation data generating program, which generate depth estimation data from an image (non-3D image) in which depth information is neither explicitly included nor implicitly included unlike a stereo image that implicitly includes the depth information, and a pseudo 3D image generating apparatus, a pseudo 3D image generating method, and a pseudo 3D image generating program, which perform a process on the non-3D image based on the depth estimation data to generate a pseudo 3D image.
2. Description of the Related Art
In order to view a non-three-dimensional (3D) image in pseudo 3D, a 3D display system generates a pseudo 3D image from general still images or a plurality of time-series continuous images forming a moving image, i.e., from an image (non-3D image) in which depth information for a 3D effect is neither explicitly included nor implicitly included unlike a stereo image that implicitly includes the depth information.
An example of such a technology includes a pseudo 3D image creation device disclosed in Patent Document 1. In order to determine a scene structure to be as close to reality as much as possible, the pseudo 3D image creation device of Patent Document 1 determines a composition ratio according to high frequency component estimation values of a non-3D image input from an upper screen high frequency component estimation unit and a lower screen high frequency component estimation unit, by using images of a plurality of types of basic depth models indicating depth values respectively for a plurality of basic types of scene structures, and composes the images of the plurality of types of basic depth models according to the composition ratio. Then, the composed images of the basic depth models and a red (R) signal of the non-3D image are superimposed to generate final depth estimation data. Also, by performing a process based on the depth estimation data on an image signal of the non-3D image, an image signal of a different-viewpoint image having a 3D effect is generated.
The pseudo 3D image creation device of Patent Document 1 generates the final depth estimation data by composing the images of the plurality of types of basic depth models according to the composition ratio determined by the high frequency component evaluation values of the non-3D image, and superimposing the R signal of the non-3D image on the composed images of the basic depth models, and R signal is used as object information constituting information about concavity and convexity. Also, Patent Document 1 discloses that a blue (B) signal or a signal using both the R signal and B signal of the non-3D image may be used as the object information superimposed on the composed images of the basic depth models.
However, in the pseudo 3D image creation device of Patent Document 1, the images of the basic depth models are selected by analyzing a scene structure of the non-3D image. On the other hand, the object information does not reflect the result of analysis of the scene structure of the non-3D image even when any of the R signal, the B signal, or both the R and B signals is used. Also, since the pseudo 3D image creation device of Patent Document 1 simply adds the object information to the selected images of the basic depth models, there is problem, in which for example, a sense of separation between a background 121 and an object (such as a person) 122 is low, as shown in FIG. 10A.
(Patent Document 1) Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2005-151534